0:00:02 > 0:00:05A while back I gave up sugar and I cut down on carbohydrates
0:00:05 > 0:00:08and I've stayed off them both,
0:00:08 > 0:00:12but if you asked me to give up alcohol for the rest of my life,
0:00:12 > 0:00:14well, I'm not sure I could do that.
0:00:14 > 0:00:18And I'm not sure what that says about me and my relationship with alcohol.
0:00:30 > 0:00:34'I've been in a relationship with alcohol for over 30 years.
0:00:34 > 0:00:37'In my youth we spent rather a lot of time together.
0:00:39 > 0:00:41'But now it's a more casual thing.'
0:00:41 > 0:00:43I've seen the good,
0:00:43 > 0:00:47the bad and the ugly side of booze.
0:00:48 > 0:00:51'But actually I know next to nothing about my drug of choice.'
0:00:51 > 0:00:55It's the British drug. We've had it for a long, long time.
0:00:55 > 0:00:58'It's time to set the record straight once and for all.'
0:00:58 > 0:01:02You get into the habit of a glass of wine every night and it's just corrosive.
0:01:02 > 0:01:06'I'm going to examine my relationship with alcohol and put
0:01:06 > 0:01:10'myself on the line to find out exactly what it's doing to my body.
0:01:10 > 0:01:12'I'm sitting here with the moment of truth,
0:01:12 > 0:01:14'wondering if my liver is shot.'
0:01:14 > 0:01:16I look at the destructive power of drink...
0:01:16 > 0:01:18Acetaldehyde's a carcinogen.
0:01:18 > 0:01:22..and see how science is trying to measure and manage our love for the hard stuff.
0:01:22 > 0:01:27A peak in activation, that was sort of immediately translated into the size of the image.
0:01:27 > 0:01:30'The best place to start is at my local pub.
0:01:30 > 0:01:33'This is our culture, our tradition.
0:01:33 > 0:01:37'We drink, get merry, chat and laugh,
0:01:37 > 0:01:41'and some of us take pride in the number of pints we sink,
0:01:41 > 0:01:44'but this is not what we should be counting.'
0:01:44 > 0:01:47I don't suppose you know how many units are in there?
0:01:47 > 0:01:49Yeah, it's about two units in there.
0:01:49 > 0:01:52And according to government guidelines, the maximum,
0:01:52 > 0:01:57- or the recommended unit for a man... - Is 14 units a week.
0:01:57 > 0:02:00- Which is two a day. - Yes, it's a pint a day.
0:02:02 > 0:02:06- So that's my recommended daily allowance of units for today.- Yes.
0:02:06 > 0:02:08- One pint.- Mm.
0:02:08 > 0:02:11'Well, that's me thoroughly bamboozled.'
0:02:11 > 0:02:14I like to think I drink within moderation.
0:02:14 > 0:02:18So four days a week I won't drink any alcohol whatsoever.
0:02:18 > 0:02:23On three days a week I might have a couple of glasses of wine one night,
0:02:23 > 0:02:26maybe the next night a couple of gin and tonics.
0:02:26 > 0:02:28The next night maybe a couple of beers.
0:02:28 > 0:02:33So I think I drink well within the recommended limits.
0:02:33 > 0:02:35That's safe, isn't it?
0:02:35 > 0:02:40'The NHS website shows us how to work out the units.
0:02:40 > 0:02:45'Multiply the amount of alcohol in millilitres by its strength -
0:02:45 > 0:02:48'that is the percentage number listed on the bottle or the can -
0:02:48 > 0:02:52'and then divide that by 1,000.
0:02:52 > 0:02:57'I've lined up my usual weekly drinks and it's time to crunch the numbers.'
0:02:57 > 0:02:59So, 14 units...
0:03:00 > 0:03:03..is...
0:03:03 > 0:03:07This is ridiculous, isn't it? It's just absolutely baffling.
0:03:08 > 0:03:10Oh, for God's sake, why doesn't it just say how many units on it?
0:03:10 > 0:03:13Wouldn't that be so much easier?
0:03:14 > 0:03:16I'm buggered if I can do this.
0:03:16 > 0:03:18'Well, after a lot of head-scratching.'
0:03:18 > 0:03:20So, in total...
0:03:21 > 0:03:25..we are talking about being just on or just over
0:03:25 > 0:03:30my weekly recommended alcohol consumption.
0:03:31 > 0:03:36So it looks like I'm drinking between 14 to 18 units most weeks.
0:03:36 > 0:03:38That's more than I expected.
0:03:38 > 0:03:43Guidelines on alcohol units were adopted in the UK in 1987,
0:03:43 > 0:03:47but we've been wetting our whistles for at least 4,000 years
0:03:47 > 0:03:52and concerns over how much we consume are nothing new.
0:03:52 > 0:03:57Back in the 1830s, the idea that we shouldn't overdo it gained ground in
0:03:57 > 0:03:59Wales with the Temperance Movement
0:03:59 > 0:04:03and at the end of the 19th century the Sunday Closing Act
0:04:03 > 0:04:08came into place and for over 100 years caused controversy.
0:04:08 > 0:04:11But the very same initiative that was supposed to curb our drinking
0:04:11 > 0:04:14may have given rise to another habit,
0:04:14 > 0:04:17as Welsh historian David Howell explains.
0:04:17 > 0:04:21What you start to see is a shift away from
0:04:21 > 0:04:24drinking in public settings
0:04:24 > 0:04:28to perhaps a more private practice of drinking.
0:04:28 > 0:04:31I'm not going to say that Temperance is the reason for that,
0:04:31 > 0:04:34but it's certainly an influential factor in why people stop drinking
0:04:34 > 0:04:38in those more communal social environments.
0:04:38 > 0:04:43So you ban drinking, or you try to cut down on drinking in public places, places like pubs.
0:04:43 > 0:04:45You restrict the hours and what happens?
0:04:45 > 0:04:48People go and drink at home?
0:04:48 > 0:04:50I think you can make that association.
0:04:50 > 0:04:53The drinking level still seems to be consistent, if not increasing,
0:04:53 > 0:04:55as we go through the 19th century.
0:04:55 > 0:04:58The truth is that behind curtains and closed doors
0:04:58 > 0:05:03we have normalised the consumption of alcohol and we're not always honest about how much we drink.
0:05:03 > 0:05:07How many times have you said you've had a glass of wine at night,
0:05:07 > 0:05:10knowing that it's really half a bottle or more?
0:05:10 > 0:05:14Health surveys indicate that 45% of us are overdoing it,
0:05:14 > 0:05:18but according to the sales data, it's more like 75%.
0:05:18 > 0:05:22'That means three quarters of us are regularly drinking to excess.'
0:05:22 > 0:05:27I guess like everybody, I drink to escape.
0:05:27 > 0:05:30To escape the cares and the worries of the day
0:05:30 > 0:05:36and just go to a different place to calm down, to chill out.
0:05:36 > 0:05:40'The consumption of wine in particular has skyrocketed
0:05:40 > 0:05:45'in the past few years, overtaking beer as the country's favourite drink.'
0:05:45 > 0:05:50Perhaps it's because we think that drinking wine is sophisticated,
0:05:50 > 0:05:52or that perhaps it's good for our health,
0:05:52 > 0:05:56and there is some evidence to suggest a little red wine
0:05:56 > 0:06:00is good for your heart, but only perhaps one or two units.
0:06:00 > 0:06:05And even then only if you're a man over the age of 40 or a postmenopausal woman.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08Well, the menopause isn't going to hit me any time soon,
0:06:08 > 0:06:11but I am over 40, so for me this should be good news.
0:06:11 > 0:06:15However, the goodness in red wine comes from a natural compound called
0:06:15 > 0:06:19polyphenols and you can get the same amount from two cups of tea as you
0:06:19 > 0:06:21can by drinking a glass of red.
0:06:23 > 0:06:27I can drink a fair amount of alcohol and it doesn't really seem to have
0:06:27 > 0:06:30that much of an effect on me, or at least that's what I think.
0:06:30 > 0:06:35I'm heading to central London this evening to take part in a rather unusual experiment.
0:06:35 > 0:06:39As they say, the proof of the pudding is in the drinking.
0:06:39 > 0:06:43'Neuroscientists Fred Dick and Iroise Dumontheil
0:06:43 > 0:06:48'from Birkbeck University have devised an unprecedented experiment for me.
0:06:48 > 0:06:50'It comes in three stages.
0:06:50 > 0:06:54'First, a sober MRI scan while I do a cognitive test.
0:06:56 > 0:06:58'Then the easy part.
0:07:00 > 0:07:02'Half an hour drinking at the university bar.'
0:07:05 > 0:07:08- Can I have the same again, please? - Yeah.
0:07:08 > 0:07:12'Because time is short, I'm hitting the hard stuff straightaway.
0:07:14 > 0:07:16'I take it back. Downing drink...
0:07:18 > 0:07:21'..after drink...
0:07:21 > 0:07:23'after drink...
0:07:24 > 0:07:27'..is actually quite hard.
0:07:29 > 0:07:32'Remember - this is for a scientific experiment.
0:07:32 > 0:07:33'Don't try this at home.
0:07:35 > 0:07:37'Or in a bar.'
0:07:42 > 0:07:44I've just had four double scotches.
0:07:44 > 0:07:48I guess that's about eight units or thereabouts.
0:07:48 > 0:07:53And I feel very warm all of a sudden and not in the least bit inclined
0:07:53 > 0:07:56to climb back into a brain scanner.
0:07:56 > 0:08:00'But I've come this far, so I can't chicken out now.'
0:08:01 > 0:08:05- How you feeling?- Well, alarmingly, remarkably normal.
0:08:05 > 0:08:08It's terrible, isn't it? 'This the real challenge.
0:08:08 > 0:08:12'Stage three of this experiment sees me back in the MRI,
0:08:12 > 0:08:15'putting my grey matter to work under the influence.
0:08:15 > 0:08:18'The scientists want to look at how alcohol immediately affects my
0:08:18 > 0:08:21'behaviour and brain activity.'
0:08:21 > 0:08:24We know that the brain is really very affected
0:08:24 > 0:08:27by the presence of alcohol itself,
0:08:27 > 0:08:30so multiple neurotransmitter systems like dopamine,
0:08:30 > 0:08:34serotonin and so on are affected by alcohol.
0:08:34 > 0:08:36So there are the lot of uncertainties, but nonetheless,
0:08:36 > 0:08:44we'll give it a crack and see how Jamie's brain changes over time.
0:08:44 > 0:08:47So I repeat the task I did earlier. It's called a Stroop test.
0:08:47 > 0:08:52Basically I need to count how many numbers appear on the screen whilst ignoring the value.
0:08:52 > 0:08:55This is as hard as it sounds.
0:08:55 > 0:08:57This kind of creates a conflict, what we call it.
0:08:57 > 0:09:02You want to answer one, you want to answer four and you have to make the decision between the two.
0:09:02 > 0:09:05This type of task where you have to kind of control your behaviour,
0:09:05 > 0:09:08it's a bit related to impulsivity
0:09:08 > 0:09:11because you have to stop your automatic response
0:09:11 > 0:09:13and actually think a bit about it.
0:09:13 > 0:09:18'And then it's time to find out if I really am alcohol proof.
0:09:20 > 0:09:24'But they keep me in suspense while they analyse the data.'
0:09:26 > 0:09:30What's the orange stuff? Why am I seeing my brain turn orange?
0:09:30 > 0:09:34So, the grey and white is just the kind of anatomy of the brain.
0:09:34 > 0:09:37So what your brain looks like, just a picture.
0:09:37 > 0:09:41The orange is showing the difference in blood flow.
0:09:41 > 0:09:44So if MRI measures how much and where the blood goes
0:09:44 > 0:09:47and that reflects which neurons are working hard.
0:09:47 > 0:09:51This prefrontal cortex region involving decision-making
0:09:51 > 0:09:54has more blood going there.
0:09:54 > 0:09:58It's working harder to get you to solve those difficult trials
0:09:58 > 0:10:00than it did before you drunk alcohol.
0:10:00 > 0:10:03The proportion is kind of three times harder.
0:10:05 > 0:10:08My brain is working three times harder when I'm drunk
0:10:08 > 0:10:09to do the same task?
0:10:09 > 0:10:11To do the hard bit versus the easy bit.
0:10:11 > 0:10:14Kind of really the difference between the two, you know?
0:10:14 > 0:10:18So not overall, but to cope with the difficult trials,
0:10:18 > 0:10:20it's kind of working three times as hard
0:10:20 > 0:10:23to solve those difficult problems.
0:10:23 > 0:10:25So you were a good drunk on the outside,
0:10:25 > 0:10:28but when you're actually able to look inside of your head,
0:10:28 > 0:10:32we can see that alcohol is really having a really profound affect
0:10:32 > 0:10:35on the way that you actually accompanying a very basic task
0:10:35 > 0:10:38- that you have to do in everyday life.- All right.
0:10:38 > 0:10:43So this is my brain under a lot of strain from one evening of bingeing.
0:10:43 > 0:10:48But over the long term this kind of drinking can lead to something a lot
0:10:48 > 0:10:52worse - a little-known but devastating condition called ARBD,
0:10:52 > 0:10:55or alcohol-related brain damage.
0:10:55 > 0:10:56With a clear head,
0:10:56 > 0:11:00I meet NHS addiction psychiatrist Dr Julia Lewis.
0:11:00 > 0:11:02The main symptom that people will recognise,
0:11:02 > 0:11:05and this is the bit generally at which people start presenting,
0:11:05 > 0:11:08is when the short-term memory is affected.
0:11:08 > 0:11:12That damage is the sort of damage where people can't remember what you said to them.
0:11:12 > 0:11:15Can't remember that they've got an appointment tomorrow, those sorts of things.
0:11:15 > 0:11:19But what we suspect is that at a much earlier stage
0:11:19 > 0:11:21you get damage to the front part of the brain.
0:11:21 > 0:11:24Something called the prefrontal cortex,
0:11:24 > 0:11:27and this is the part of the brain that controls the rest of the brain.
0:11:27 > 0:11:30If that part of the brain is damaged,
0:11:30 > 0:11:32you can't make sensible decisions.
0:11:32 > 0:11:36You can't integrate the information that you need
0:11:36 > 0:11:38to make a reasonable choice.
0:11:38 > 0:11:40But also, you can't control your impulses,
0:11:40 > 0:11:42you can't motivate yourself
0:11:42 > 0:11:46and you can't switch well from one task to another.
0:11:46 > 0:11:50But this isn't something that someone that just drinks moderately
0:11:50 > 0:11:52needs to worry about, is it?
0:11:52 > 0:11:55You need to have been drinking over 35 units a week for a man
0:11:55 > 0:12:00or over 28 units a week for a woman for at least five years
0:12:00 > 0:12:03to be at risk from this alcohol-related brain damage.
0:12:03 > 0:12:07However, there's some suggestion that people at lower,
0:12:07 > 0:12:11often binge drinking rather than dependant drinking levels
0:12:11 > 0:12:15seem to be presenting with some form of neurological damage.
0:12:15 > 0:12:18So it's highly likely that at levels much lower than that,
0:12:18 > 0:12:21alcohol is still having an impact on the brain.
0:12:21 > 0:12:23And that is bad news for Wales.
0:12:23 > 0:12:27People who don't even consider themselves to be heavy drinkers,
0:12:27 > 0:12:29like me, are vulnerable.
0:12:29 > 0:12:33In fact, it's estimated that one in 200 adults in the UK are affected by
0:12:33 > 0:12:35alcohol-related brain damage,
0:12:35 > 0:12:38even though we don't tend to hear about it.
0:12:38 > 0:12:41Like a lot of us, I often have a glass of wine or two,
0:12:41 > 0:12:43sometimes three in an evening.
0:12:43 > 0:12:45I've never thought this could be a problem,
0:12:45 > 0:12:48but what I've heard has got me pretty worried.
0:12:48 > 0:12:51One of the main industry trade associations,
0:12:51 > 0:12:54the WSTA, who represent wine and spirit businesses in the UK,
0:12:54 > 0:13:00say that moderate and responsible drinking is compatible with a healthy lifestyle.
0:13:01 > 0:13:04'I meet Professor of Public Health and expert on alcohol harm
0:13:04 > 0:13:07'Simon Moore to hopefully put my mind at ease.'
0:13:08 > 0:13:12There is such a thing as moderate drinking and that's OK, isn't it?
0:13:12 > 0:13:15- It depends what you call moderate. - Well, the government guidelines.
0:13:15 > 0:13:18Sticking to the government guidelines.
0:13:18 > 0:13:22That I would say is at the upper end of what you should be drinking.
0:13:22 > 0:13:25You're going to be starting to see effects, I think,
0:13:25 > 0:13:28from as little as seven units a week in terms of your health.
0:13:28 > 0:13:31Is there a safe limit for drinking?
0:13:32 > 0:13:35On balance, no, there isn't.
0:13:35 > 0:13:38People should avoid alcohol altogether?
0:13:38 > 0:13:41- Yes.- No alcohol, that's the safe limit?
0:13:41 > 0:13:43I would argue that, yes.
0:13:43 > 0:13:46It doesn't take very much alcohol to start to see an effect on the human body.
0:13:46 > 0:13:49That's pretty devastating, isn't it?
0:13:49 > 0:13:53It's a perfect end to a lovely interview, but it's devastating!
0:13:53 > 0:13:55'I didn't really want to hear that.
0:13:56 > 0:13:59'So why do we keep doing it?
0:13:59 > 0:14:02'Perhaps it's the instant gratification.'
0:14:02 > 0:14:04Alcohol travels through our bloodstream
0:14:04 > 0:14:06and within 90 seconds it hits the brain,
0:14:06 > 0:14:10increasing dopamine and endorphin levels to give us a high
0:14:10 > 0:14:14that produces pleasure and alleviates stress.
0:14:14 > 0:14:16But if we drink too much of it,
0:14:16 > 0:14:21our bodies will do their best to reject it and that's because, ultimately, it's a poison.
0:14:22 > 0:14:24Maybe it's time to go back to basics.
0:14:24 > 0:14:27At Cardiff Metropolitan University,
0:14:27 > 0:14:30Dr Jo Welton gives me a biochemistry lesson.
0:14:30 > 0:14:32What are we actually drinking?
0:14:32 > 0:14:35What are we pouring down our throats?
0:14:35 > 0:14:37Anything - beer, wine, spirits -
0:14:37 > 0:14:41contains a specific alcohol called ethanol,
0:14:41 > 0:14:48and that is made up of two carbons, an oxygen and five hydrogens.
0:14:48 > 0:14:50So that's the chemical structure?
0:14:50 > 0:14:52This is the chemical structure of ethanol.
0:14:52 > 0:14:55I remember this from school now. How dangerous is this?
0:14:55 > 0:15:02- How toxic is this? - Erm, well, the breakdown of ethanol into the next part in the chain,
0:15:02 > 0:15:05in your liver, is to acetaldehyde.
0:15:05 > 0:15:08The hazard symbols include it as flammable,
0:15:08 > 0:15:11and this one here that kind of looks like heartburn
0:15:11 > 0:15:16means it's a serious health hazard, so acetaldehyde's a carcinogen.
0:15:16 > 0:15:21And this also adds to it, and it's also a symbol for a health hazard.
0:15:21 > 0:15:25So if I have a couple of glasses of wine, beers, spirits,
0:15:25 > 0:15:28that ends up inside my liver, ultimately?
0:15:28 > 0:15:33- Yes, yes.- So we're effectively pouring poisons down our throat?
0:15:33 > 0:15:36Yeah. It's not particularly good for us.
0:15:36 > 0:15:39- But if you saw that in the...- Yeah, you wouldn't want to drink this.
0:15:39 > 0:15:42- You wouldn't want to drink that, would you?- No.
0:15:42 > 0:15:45Once ingested, alcohol is mostly processed by the liver,
0:15:45 > 0:15:48the organ responsible for filtering toxins from the blood.
0:15:48 > 0:15:50'Using liquidised lamb's liver,
0:15:50 > 0:15:55'Dr Welton sets up an experiment to show me how a healthy and damaged
0:15:55 > 0:15:59'liver react when exposed to a toxin that our bodies produce
0:15:59 > 0:16:02'and process every day - hydrogen peroxide.'
0:16:02 > 0:16:04So I have to try and do this at the same time, so...
0:16:09 > 0:16:12- Wow.- So, as you can see, in the healthy,
0:16:12 > 0:16:17it's reacted much more rapidly compared to with the damaged liver.
0:16:17 > 0:16:20You're still getting the enzyme reaction, but it's much slower,
0:16:20 > 0:16:25so your body isn't able to process it as quickly as it normally would.
0:16:25 > 0:16:29So this shows that a damaged liver doesn't function properly,
0:16:29 > 0:16:31and if you regularly drink alcohol,
0:16:31 > 0:16:35toxins will build up until the liver stops working altogether.
0:16:35 > 0:16:38I've never thought about my liver.
0:16:38 > 0:16:41I mean, I'm aware that, you know,
0:16:41 > 0:16:44if you drink there are all those terrible diseases -
0:16:44 > 0:16:46cirrhosis of the liver and...
0:16:47 > 0:16:50..all kinds of liver diseases that you're...
0:16:50 > 0:16:55you're gambling with, so I've never had mine tested,
0:16:55 > 0:16:58and I've no idea what shape it's in.
0:16:59 > 0:17:02'I've been consuming alcohol on a regular basis
0:17:02 > 0:17:04'for over three decades.
0:17:04 > 0:17:07'That's an awful lot of toxins passing through my liver.
0:17:07 > 0:17:12'I'm meeting up with liver expert Dr Andrew Yeoman in Pontypool
0:17:12 > 0:17:14'for an unnerving checkup.'
0:17:14 > 0:17:18- The moment of truth.- Indeed.
0:17:18 > 0:17:20'Now, in case you're wondering, I'm not pregnant.
0:17:20 > 0:17:24'I'm here for a FibroScan liver test which measures if a liver
0:17:24 > 0:17:29'is soft and healthy, or stiff and damaged.'
0:17:29 > 0:17:33So this is almost like an ultrasound you'd have with a pregnant woman?
0:17:33 > 0:17:34Yeah, it uses ultrasound,
0:17:34 > 0:17:36but it also uses a vibration wave through the liver.
0:17:36 > 0:17:40So you're basically measuring resistance through my liver?
0:17:40 > 0:17:43That's right. This is giving us the reading in kiloPascals,
0:17:43 > 0:17:45or the liver stiffness measurement that we want.
0:17:45 > 0:17:49- So what would be normal? - Normal is less than seven.
0:17:49 > 0:17:52- Yeah.- Anything between seven and ten can indicate scarring of the liver.
0:17:52 > 0:17:55Anything above 11 starts to worry us that somebody might have a lot of
0:17:55 > 0:17:58scarring or even cirrhosis of the liver.
0:17:58 > 0:18:00This is not a very pleasant experience, if I'm honest with you.
0:18:00 > 0:18:03I mean, I am sitting here at the moment of truth,
0:18:03 > 0:18:06wondering if my liver is shot, while being filmed.
0:18:06 > 0:18:09So you can sit up now, if you want to get comfortable.
0:18:09 > 0:18:12I have to say I'm very relieved that's over.
0:18:12 > 0:18:14So the long and short of it is what?
0:18:14 > 0:18:17The long and the short of it is actually you've got a nice, normal, soft, healthy liver.
0:18:17 > 0:18:21So there's no evidence of any scar tissue in there based on those readings.
0:18:21 > 0:18:23Which, I have to say, I'm very relieved about.
0:18:23 > 0:18:26I didn't enjoy any of that, cos I didn't know what you were going to find.
0:18:26 > 0:18:30No, absolutely. And many of our patients find the same when they come into clinic as well.
0:18:30 > 0:18:35Why aren't we understanding this problem with alcohol?
0:18:35 > 0:18:36I think people think it won't happen to them,
0:18:36 > 0:18:40and I think it comes back to the fact that the drink heavily, they don't get symptoms,
0:18:40 > 0:18:44and it's only when it's often too late that people realise there's been a problem.
0:18:44 > 0:18:48And I think if there's one message you'd want to get across to the general population,
0:18:48 > 0:18:52it's that you don't have to be an alcoholic to get alcohol-related liver disease.
0:18:52 > 0:18:55Increasingly, we're seeing people with alcohol-related liver disease
0:18:55 > 0:18:58and dying from these things who are professional people, holding down jobs,
0:18:58 > 0:19:02but are coming home from work drinking a bottle and a half or two bottles of wine a night.
0:19:02 > 0:19:04They're not necessarily falling over drunk,
0:19:04 > 0:19:07they're not creating social disorder,
0:19:07 > 0:19:09and they don't see it as being a problem.
0:19:09 > 0:19:12But it is creating a problem for them.
0:19:12 > 0:19:15'Fortunately, my liver has a clean bill of health,
0:19:15 > 0:19:18'but I'm not about to celebrate with a drink.'
0:19:19 > 0:19:21I know alcohol can be fun.
0:19:21 > 0:19:25There's a drink out there for every mood.
0:19:25 > 0:19:29There's a drink out there for every taste, and every occasion.
0:19:30 > 0:19:34Who doesn't enjoy a party more if booze is available?
0:19:34 > 0:19:36It can loosen us up,
0:19:36 > 0:19:39and help us make new friends.
0:19:39 > 0:19:44Even though the average alcohol consumption in the UK has fallen in recent years,
0:19:44 > 0:19:48it seems too many of us are still overdoing it.
0:19:48 > 0:19:52Perhaps it's because cut-price booze seems to be everywhere in our towns
0:19:52 > 0:19:56and cities. But is there a hidden cost to all of this cheap alcohol?
0:19:57 > 0:20:01I asked Mark Bellis, the director of Public Health Wales.
0:20:02 > 0:20:08Can we quantify the real cost of alcohol abuse to Wales?
0:20:08 > 0:20:10Well, we can use figures for the UK,
0:20:10 > 0:20:14and for that we talk about a cost around crime,
0:20:14 > 0:20:21losses in employment and health, of about £21 billion per year,
0:20:21 > 0:20:25and that's about £3.5 billion of that cost falls on the NHS,
0:20:25 > 0:20:28about £11 billion falls on criminal justice,
0:20:28 > 0:20:31and the rest falls on losses because people don't go to work,
0:20:31 > 0:20:33or they're off on long-term sick.
0:20:33 > 0:20:35So we can talk about it in terms of pounds,
0:20:35 > 0:20:38but we can also talk about it in terms of, for instance,
0:20:38 > 0:20:42in Wales more than 50,000 admissions to hospital every year
0:20:42 > 0:20:44for alcohol-related problems.
0:20:44 > 0:20:49The real cost of alcohol is not reflected in what we're currently charging for it.
0:20:49 > 0:20:51What people, when they see cheap alcohol,
0:20:51 > 0:20:54they think only of what they're paying for that bottle of wine
0:20:54 > 0:20:58or that can of beer, but they are also paying perhaps, as a family,
0:20:58 > 0:21:04up to £1,000 a year more to deal with the consequences of alcohol being sold too cheaply.
0:21:04 > 0:21:07One way or another, even if you're not the drinker,
0:21:07 > 0:21:09you're going to be paying for a lot of cheap,
0:21:09 > 0:21:12highly promoted alcohol in Wales.
0:21:13 > 0:21:17'A movement for the adoption of minimum pricing per unit of alcohol
0:21:17 > 0:21:21'is gaining momentum, but there's still stiff opposition.
0:21:21 > 0:21:24'Expert in alcohol-related violence and government adviser
0:21:24 > 0:21:28'Professor Jonathan Shepherd is a keen supporter of those proposals.'
0:21:29 > 0:21:32The forces of opposition against you, though, are considerable -
0:21:32 > 0:21:36the alcohol lobby, and the fact that we all love a drink, don't we?
0:21:36 > 0:21:43I think that the alcohol industry in general has been most unhelpful
0:21:43 > 0:21:46with regard to their responsibility.
0:21:46 > 0:21:51I think that the influence and access that the alcohol lobby had
0:21:51 > 0:21:56on the Department of Health to develop health policy was just not helpful.
0:21:56 > 0:21:59It's just plain wrong, in my view.
0:21:59 > 0:22:03Not to say that there aren't a lot of responsible producers out there,
0:22:03 > 0:22:08but at the end of the day it's about the profits and profitability
0:22:08 > 0:22:12of the trade and the industry. And the cost of the harm to all of us
0:22:12 > 0:22:16has always been a great deal more than the tax take
0:22:16 > 0:22:19that the Treasury would get from the duty.
0:22:19 > 0:22:22Well, in a statement the Wine and Spirit Trade Association
0:22:22 > 0:22:26said they fully supported an attempt to appeal a ruling
0:22:26 > 0:22:28in favour of minimum unit pricing.
0:22:28 > 0:22:32According to them, evidence shows that minimum unit pricing
0:22:32 > 0:22:35will not stop the small minority of harmful drinkers
0:22:35 > 0:22:38who are least responsive to price,
0:22:38 > 0:22:41but will unfairly punish the majority of consumers
0:22:41 > 0:22:44who enjoy alcohol as part of a healthy lifestyle,
0:22:44 > 0:22:46especially the poorest.
0:22:46 > 0:22:50They go on to state that trends in government data show clearly
0:22:50 > 0:22:53that the UK has been drinking ever more responsibly
0:22:53 > 0:22:57over the last ten years, with consumption dropping by a fifth,
0:22:57 > 0:23:01and this has been in large part achieved by partnership working
0:23:01 > 0:23:05between industry and government, in a targeted manner.
0:23:05 > 0:23:09Even though the Welsh Government wants to adopt minimum unit pricing
0:23:09 > 0:23:12on alcohol, it doesn't have the power to do so.
0:23:12 > 0:23:15The Welsh efforts are currently blocked in Westminster.
0:23:15 > 0:23:19Perhaps if alcohol does become more expensive, we'll drink less of it,
0:23:19 > 0:23:23but with alcohol being such a big part of our culture,
0:23:23 > 0:23:25will it really make much difference?
0:23:25 > 0:23:27The Welsh like drinking - this is a drinking nation.
0:23:27 > 0:23:31When we think of a sense of celebration,
0:23:31 > 0:23:34when we go out and watch the rugby or the football
0:23:34 > 0:23:36or we gather together for a party...
0:23:37 > 0:23:41..we gather together with mates, and what do we do?
0:23:41 > 0:23:43We have a drink.
0:23:43 > 0:23:45More than one drink.
0:23:45 > 0:23:48It almost defines who we are.
0:23:48 > 0:23:49When you think of all of our...
0:23:50 > 0:23:54..our cultural exports - Richard Burton...
0:23:55 > 0:23:59..you know, Dylan Thomas -
0:23:59 > 0:24:04those heroes of Wales also have a very troubled relationship
0:24:04 > 0:24:06with drinking, and we almost...
0:24:07 > 0:24:10..admire them more for it.
0:24:10 > 0:24:12It's part of who we are.
0:24:13 > 0:24:15It seems impossible to change a whole culture,
0:24:15 > 0:24:17but perhaps science and technology
0:24:17 > 0:24:20can help us change the way we think about drinking.
0:24:20 > 0:24:22Cutting edge research at CUBRIC,
0:24:22 > 0:24:24Europe's largest brain imaging centre,
0:24:24 > 0:24:26is attempting to do just that.
0:24:26 > 0:24:30At the £44 million facility, a consortium of EU scientists
0:24:30 > 0:24:32has been mapping and tracking
0:24:32 > 0:24:35the brain responses of alcohol dependent patients,
0:24:35 > 0:24:38in an attempt to relieve them of their addiction.
0:24:40 > 0:24:42The reason I'm dressed in pyjamas
0:24:42 > 0:24:46is I'm about to climb into this MRI scanner behind me,
0:24:46 > 0:24:49so I'm going to see how my brain responds to images of wine,
0:24:49 > 0:24:52beer and spirits.
0:24:54 > 0:24:58'The Brain Train clinical trial uses neuroimaging technology
0:24:58 > 0:25:02'that's twice as powerful as a conventional MRI scanner.
0:25:02 > 0:25:04'This is like I'm stepping into the future,
0:25:04 > 0:25:08'but for some reason it's not an entirely comfortable feeling.'
0:25:08 > 0:25:11OK, please can you test the squeeze ball for me?
0:25:11 > 0:25:13- BEEP - Thank you.
0:25:13 > 0:25:17'Checking up on me is the project coordinator, Professor David Linden.
0:25:17 > 0:25:21- Hello, Jamie. Are you OK in there? - Yeah, I'm fine.
0:25:21 > 0:25:25Neutral and alcohol images are now going to be fed to me,
0:25:25 > 0:25:29and my brain reacts to them, lighting up different areas.
0:25:29 > 0:25:32Very responsive to visual stimulation.
0:25:32 > 0:25:35Using this information, the programme determines
0:25:35 > 0:25:39what is a visual response and what is a motivational reaction -
0:25:39 > 0:25:42a feeling - to the alcohol cues.
0:25:42 > 0:25:44This is what we call the network
0:25:44 > 0:25:47that's involved in the processing of alcohol-related stimuli.
0:25:48 > 0:25:51Well, there's no hiding my fondness for booze,
0:25:51 > 0:25:53but then it gets even more interesting.
0:25:53 > 0:25:56The images start changing in size,
0:25:56 > 0:25:59and it turns out it's my brain that's making that happen.
0:26:01 > 0:26:05This is being controlled by the brain activation level.
0:26:05 > 0:26:07He's not consciously doing it.
0:26:07 > 0:26:09His brain activation
0:26:09 > 0:26:11is sort of reflected in the size of the picture.
0:26:11 > 0:26:16And then the scientists find my weak spot - wine.
0:26:16 > 0:26:19And you saw that - that was a peak in activation
0:26:19 > 0:26:21that was sort of immediately translated into
0:26:21 > 0:26:22the size of the image.
0:26:26 > 0:26:28That's just a very peculiar experience.
0:26:28 > 0:26:32You're locked in an MRI scanner, and it's a moment of truth.
0:26:32 > 0:26:35It's... There's no way of lying, is there?
0:26:35 > 0:26:37Did I stay still enough?
0:26:38 > 0:26:40- Indeed you did.- I've got no...
0:26:40 > 0:26:42It so baffling - I've got no idea what I'm looking at.
0:26:42 > 0:26:49You're looking at slices through your brain that we acquired every 1.5 seconds,
0:26:49 > 0:26:52to look at the changes in the brain activation.
0:26:52 > 0:26:55I'm guessing I'm like most people - I saw a shot of the ironing,
0:26:55 > 0:26:57and that wouldn't excite me in the slightest,
0:26:57 > 0:27:01but I saw a shot of red wine and, you know, I think, great.
0:27:01 > 0:27:04I have happy memories, happy thoughts, of a glass of red wine,
0:27:04 > 0:27:06so presumably that's not terribly peculiar?
0:27:06 > 0:27:07That is... It wouldn't,
0:27:07 > 0:27:11and often these areas that you would see are those that are responsive to
0:27:11 > 0:27:13other types of rewards as well,
0:27:13 > 0:27:17similar to if you were getting monetary reward in a game, for example.
0:27:17 > 0:27:22Alcohol cues are so abundant in your environment -
0:27:22 > 0:27:24if you want to remain abstinent,
0:27:24 > 0:27:26if you have a history of alcohol dependency,
0:27:26 > 0:27:28you need to train a way of responding to them.
0:27:28 > 0:27:32So are you saying that you can train people's brains
0:27:32 > 0:27:35not to be stimulated by the sight of alcohol?
0:27:35 > 0:27:40That's the underlying theory here for this trial that we're doing.
0:27:40 > 0:27:44- Cutting edge technology for the oldest addiction.- Indeed.
0:27:45 > 0:27:48Well, this has been an eye-opening journey for me.
0:27:48 > 0:27:53After all that I've seen and learnt, I can't plead ignorance any longer.
0:27:53 > 0:27:55Ultimately, alcohol is a poison
0:27:55 > 0:28:00and it can do profound damage to our physical and mental health.
0:28:00 > 0:28:07Now, normally any BBC reporter would now give you the balancing statement after what I've just said.
0:28:07 > 0:28:10But the thing is, there isn't one.
0:28:10 > 0:28:14There isn't any good news about drinking alcohol.
0:28:14 > 0:28:17Perhaps we need to readjust our relationship
0:28:17 > 0:28:21and make it an occasional treat for the now and then,
0:28:21 > 0:28:23rather than every day.
0:28:25 > 0:28:30So, "good health," as they say, for some inexplicable reason.